Carriage-top



(No Model.)

J. B. PLJTTIBUDIE.`

CARRIAGE TOP.

Patented July 18, 1886.

N4 PETERS. PlwluLmngnpher, Washingn. Dy C.

UNITED STATESN PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. :PETTIBONH oE EAEMINGTON, MICHIGAN.

CARRIAGE-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 345,538, dated July 13, 1886.

Application ined Maren 25, 1ste. semi No. 196,451. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JOHN B. PETTIBONE,

of Farmington. in the county of Oakland and l State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carriage-Tops; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in carriage-tops, and is especially designed as an improvement upon the device as granted to meunder Patent No. 335,841, February 9, 1886. In the patent referred to provision was only made for operating the top-prop from within the buggy; and the object of this invention is to improve upon the construction there shown and described, whereby the top-prop and top-brace may both be operated by the occupant of the buggy in lowering or raising the top without the necessity of getting out or of reaching around the sides.

Figure 1 is'a side elevation of the top of a buggy as secured'to a seat. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the bows, top-prop, and top brace, and provided with my improvement, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents a buggy-top mounted upon the bowsB, asin the ordinary manner, three bows being shown in this construction. i

Crepresents'the top-prop, the lower end of which is pivotally secured. to the prop-arm,

which projects laterally from the seat, as in the ordinary construction,while its upper end is rigidly secured upon the outer end of a shaft, D,which is journaled through a sleeve, E, such sleeve being in turn properly journaled in bearings laterally through the center bow, B, as clearly shown in the drawings. Outside of the sleeve'this shaft D is formed with an annular enlargement, D', which engages the opening in the top-prop C. The outer end of this shaft is screw-threaded, as shown, to receivethe nut I. To the outer end of this sleeve Eis rigidly secured the rear end of the top jointed brace F, the forward end of which is secured to the top in the ordinary manner. To the inner end of the sleeve E is rigidly secured a hand-lever, G, and to thein' ner end of the shaftD is rigidly secured a similar lever, H.

To prevent pinching of the hand against the bow when the lever G is operated, I place between said bow and lever on the sleeve E a washer, J. The shoulder formed by the enlargement on the shaft D and the lever H prevent end-play of the sleeve on the shaft.

In practice, the parts being constructed substantially as described and shown, the top being up, as shown in Fig. l, if it is desired to partially lower the top, thelever H is moved so as to partially rotate the shaft D, which breaks the joint of the top-prop, and allows the top to fall back and rest upon the topprop arms, substantially as shown in the hereinbefore referred to Letters Patent. lf it is desired to completely lower the top or to fold the top down, then the lever G is operated so as to partially rotate the sleeve E, which will compel the top brace to break joint, and thereby allow the top to fold down. By this construction it will be seen that the top can be wholly or partially lowered by the occupant of the buggy, without the necessity of reaching out around on theA outside or without com: pellng him to get out of the buggy, and at the saine time it can be raised by giving a reverse movement to the parts. A

I am aware of the Patent No. 7,097, and make no claim to the construction shown therein as forming part of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is- The shaft D, provided with annular enlargement D', and the sleeve E on said shaft, combined with the top-prop C on said enlargement, bow B and top-brace F on said sleeve, lever G,secured to said sleeve, lever H, secured to the shaft D, and the washerJ on said sleeve between said lever G and bow, substantially as herein described and shown.

J OHN B. PETTIBONE.

Witnesses:

H. S. SPRAGUE, GHAs. THURMAN. 

